"The 80s were weird...": '80s kids are sharing nostalgic snacks that have been long since discontinued, mass-produced foods from 40 years ago that you don't really see anymore

Brad Dickson • Managing Editor

Nov 12, 2026 11:15 PM EST

Have you ever eaten something that you thought about decades afterward?

I'll always remember my grandpa's chocolate pancakes he used to make when my sister and I would stay over at my grandparents house. That and my grandma's "No Bake" cookie recipe that she would make especially for me, even when I was home visiting from university. These were basically just a big chuck of chocolate, peanut butter, and sugar. I never did get the chance to ask grandma how she made those and now it's far too late. So that one is just going to have to live on in my memory.

Personal family recipes that have been lost are one thing, but when it's a mass produced product that suddenly blinks out of existence because someone on a board room decided it wasn't worth producing… well that's a whole other type of nostalgia-fueling situation. In these cases, you have entire generations of now grown up kids whose collective consciousness of these long-discontinued foods turns them from failures into legends

And that's what this collection is about.

When it comes to subtlety, that wasn't really the 80s thing. The packaging literally shouted at you from the shelf, an entire mob of bright colors each yelling out for the attention of your magpie-like kid brain.

Maybe that's what turned so many of these foods into evocative nostalgic goldmines. By comparison, the minimalism design ethics and muted colors of recent years doesn't really attach itself into your consciousness like the tantalizing promise of bright colored packaging containing what was, in reality, a chalky, cheaply produced snack. But, thanks to the power of the rose-tinted glasses and nostalgia so many of these live on in our hearts as beloved favorites.

Are there any here that you remember personally? Any others that should make the list?

01

via Christy Mercer - Facebook
02
Noid - Tart and Fruity Candy Balls

via lokipuddin

This colorful packaging showcases Noids, a nostalgic candy from the 80s era.
03
The legendary... Bugles

via des1gnbot
04
You know you did this at least once.

via maidenofmp

A hand depicting the classic trick of using Bugles as talons.
05
Ghostbusters Slimer Bubble Gum... in a tube?

via TinyDogGuy

TinyDogGuy
That Ghostbusters gum that started as a gritty paste of sugar and turned into gum (supposedly).
06
Garbage Candy

via Solintari

Solintari
garbage candy, the 80s were weird…
07
Keebler Pizzarias Pizza Chips

via LittleWhiteFuzzies
08
CHARMS Candy Sour Balls

via EastCoastJohnny
09
Jell-O 123

via VioletVenable

Layers!
10
Keebler Magic Middles

via therealpopkiller
11
Sodalicious - Soda Pop Fruit Snacks

via Ordinary_Aioli_7602
12
Hostess Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Pies

via The_OtherGuy_99
13
Liquid-Centered Soda-Flavored Gum

via vlazuvius

Empty-Rub3904
Yes!!! They had Dr Pepper too
14
Clearly Canadian

via kristicuse

kristicuse
Could not get enough of these in middle school.
15
Hostess Pudding Pie Chocolate Snack

via ButIAmYourDaughter
16
Now and Laters

via blancolobosBRC
17
"I had a vague memory of nestle’s Alpine White candy bar for years . Until recently I see a vintage ad in a old Tv Guide I was skimming through"

via Yosemite_Scott
18
Bonkers Fruit Candy

via hamwarmer
19
Fruit Wrinkles

via JenaPet02
20
Tato Skins

via Gutch220
21
Boo-Berry Cereal

via Sean_Aaberg

Ok and all the other monster cereals too…
22
FrankenBerry

via Sean_Aaberg
23
Count Chocula

via Sean_Aaberg
24
Kellogg's Apple Raisin Crisp Cereal

via Dinosaur Dracula
25
Peanut Butter Boppers

via Jackkandi456
26
Penrose Hot Smoked Pickled Sausage

via Dominic Tiberio
27
Five Alive Fruit Punch

via Cautious_Owl6165
28
Ok this one is a joke, but don't tell me you didn't try it at least once...

via CpuJunky
29
"Jello Pudding Pops-70s-90s"

via Eagle_In_Flight
30
Smurf Berry Crunch Cereal

via Yosemite_Scott